Manual Round Hay Bale Wrapper

ABSTRACT

This is a machine to allow a single individual to manually wrap round hay bales with any type of film or net wrap. It allows the operator to position a round bale suspended on a bale spear and centered within the bale wrap ring to turn the ring which contains the wrap material clockwise or counterclockwise about the bale as the wrap covers the bale about its circumference. The ring can also be moved left and right to ensure full coverage of the bale in spite of widths and the ring is large enough to accommodate bales of any diameter up to six foot and can be easily adapted to bales of even larger diameter if round balers are produced in excess of six foot in diameter.

The inventor hereby claims the benefits associated with the Provisional Patent applied for on 28 May 2009, Application No. 61181908, Name of Inventor—Gary Paul Bauer

DESCRIPTION OF THE MANUAL BALE WRAP MACHINE

The machine consists of a base on which all other components rest. The base is a ladder frame sufficient to carry the weight of the entire apparatus and it rests upon the ground or other level surface. The frame has affixed to its upper surface, four wheels mounted and aligned in the direction of the frame so that a trolley which rests above it is supported by those four wheels which are captured within a “U” channel. The “U” channel is the bottom part of the frame for the dolly. At each end of the “U” channel, stops are welded limiting travel so that the trolley does not run beyond the “U” channel. Those wheels and the channel allow the trolley to move laterally to accommodate bales of varying widths. The trolley is also built as a ladder frame which rests atop the base with “U” channel as described above. Cross members are attached and four pillow blocks are mounted in alignment with the cross members. The pillow blocks support a shaft which is free to rotate and connects one pillow block to the pillow block on the opposite cross member so that there are two complete axle assemblies atop the cross members and each axle supports the ring above allowing it to rotate. To the interior of the pillow block and immediately adjacent to it is a flat disk which is used to capture and retain the ring which rides atop the two axles. To the interior of each disk is a wheel designed to provide a smooth cushioned and low resistance surface for the large ring above to turn. The third and final component is the large ring of sufficient size to accommodate bales of any diameter. The rings are constructed in such a manner as to be easily disassembled to minimize storage and allow it to be easily transported when broken down. There are two large rings joined at the points where the ring is easily disassembled with cross members giving the rings a parallel and rigid conformation. The cross members are tubular and have spring clips locking the sections onto the cross brace. The cross brace could also be secured with bolts or the entire ring could be welded and function in the same fashion. Once the rings have been assembled with the cross braces, the entire unit can then be placed atop the axles and prepared for the wrapping material. The wrapping material is attached to the inside of the large rings with one roll at opposite locations. The brackets welded to the interior of the ring contain holes which align with nylon fittings designed to seat within the inner core of the wrapping material roll and allow the operator to select the tension appropriate for the material being wrapped by tightening a fitting which increases rolling tension as the fitting is advanced.

Once the bale is moved into position, the operator then tucks the plastic wrap into the twine or other bale wrapping material and turns the ring in a clockwise or counterclockwise manner until the bale has been completely covered with one wrap the width of the roll of wrapping material and moving the ring laterally left or right to continue coverage until the entire bale is covered.

The machine is designed so that it can accommodate a motorized unit later on should the operator desire. In addition, This unit will have an attachment arm which will allow the operator to enter the frame for bale wrap precision.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

“FIG. 1” is a drawing of the entire round bale wrapping apparatus viewed from the side with the depiction of a tractor/loader to the immediate right of the apparatus with a spear inserted into a round hay bale supported by that tractor. The distal end of the round hay bale is inserted into the center of the apparatus midway across the bale with the proximal end of the bale remaining outside of the apparatus in this drawing.

“FIG. 1 A” is an exploded view of one of the cross bars, joints and spring clips which are utilized to secure the cross bar and ring segments.

“FIG. 2” is a view of the entire apparatus rotated 90 degrees from the view in FIG. 1. the bale is seen from the distal end of the bale centered within the ring and the wrapping material being applied from the two rolls attached to the ring.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many bale wrapping machines currently available; however, most of them rotate the bale around while the wrapping material remains fixed in place. This requires significant mechanical advantage to operate those machines and exposes the operator to the hazards of the electric or hydraulic motors which may pinch or bind the operator during the operation of those machines exposing the manufacturer to possible liability. In addition, the cost of producing a machine which turns the bale which often weighs well over a thousand pounds requires significant expense of production to include the mechanics to turn the bale.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This unit is designed to rotate the wrapping material and the bale remains stationary supported by a bale spear attached to the front or rear of a tractor. Bale spears are in common use and normally found incident to the production, transport and feeding operations associated with round bales. The cost of production of hay continues to rise with increased input costs making it more important than ever to preserve as much of the hay and the quality of the hay whenever possible. This unit can be manufactured at a cost which makes it affordable for hobby farmers as well as full time farm operators. The cost to wrap a bale using this method currently runs about $1 per bale for the wrapping material and the final product will be better preserved than net wrap or twine. In addition, this method of preservation would allow an operator to seal the bales against one another to create high moisture hay for ruminants. This method of preservation would prevent many of the losses associated with traditional methods of preservation which allow contact with moisture in the ground degrading a significant amount of the bale closest to the ground.

This invention eliminates the high cost of producing a machine which is heavy enough with the necessary mechanical advantage necessary to rotate the bale by the operator. In addition, it contains fewer parts and is less expensive to acquire making it affordable for the small to medium farming operations. Most of it is manufactured from readily accessible components from many farm stores allowing the operator to make repairs without specialized tools or parts.

Finally, this system is efficient, can be used by any operator without tools or mechanical expertise and will prove to be a very inexpensive way to improve their hay production and preservation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE MACHINE

FIG. 1 Shows the machine from the side and a tractor with a spear (1) attached to a tractor front-end loader and a bale (2) suspended by that spear. The tractor is stationary and the bale is suspended over the trolley unit (3) and centered within the ring (4) which is free to rotate about the bale (in that picture the wrap (5) is tucked into the twine encircling the bale and started in a counterclockwise manner, but also could be rotated clockwise). The supporting base (6) has four wheels (7) mounted on the top of the base and captured in the lower “U” channels (8) [also depicted in FIG. 2] which comprise the lower frame unit of the trolley unit allowing the trolley to travel freely across the width of the bale until the trolley reaches the stops (10) attached to the end of the “U” channels (8). In this manner the entire ring can be moved toward or away from the tractor to allow coverage of the entire width of the bale. The ring is segmented with four segments (14) on each side and connected by four bars with cross segments at each end forming an “H” pattern (one of the four is shown enlarged in FIG. 1 Inset A) which are designed to fit into each segment with spring clips (15) or bolts securing each segment to the other three segments and also connection the two rings so that they comprise a single unit. The diameter of the ring can be eight feet which is sufficient to accommodate bales of four to six feet in diameter, but could be increased in the event bales exceed those measurements in the future.

FIG. 2 Shows the bale wrap machine viewed from the front of the machine illustrating the “U” channel (8) which captures the wheels (7) positioned under the trolley. What I have omitted in that FIG. 2 are the stops (10) located at the end of each “U” channel (visible in FIG. 1) and limiting the movement beyond the ends of each channel. You can also see the disks (11) located adjacent to the roller bearings (12) connected to the opposite roller bearing by a shaft (16) with the ring resting on top of the surface of the two parallel shafts. The roller bearings are captured in pillow blocks attached to the upper surface of the trolley unit (3). This allows free movement of the ring in a clockwise or counterclockwise fashion. The disks which are immediately adjacent to the rollers capture the ring and prevent it from moving laterally off the rollers. The ends of the shafts on which the ring rests are not depicted with but can be equipped with hex shafts to accommodate a power drill or variable speed motor to turn the shaft with mechanical assistance or it can be operated manually by the rotation of the ring pulling it downward toward the operator causing the ring to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. The wrapping material (5) is pictured from the ends of the rolls in FIG. 2 and from the side of the rolls in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, the film wrap is being applied in a clockwise manner and in FIG. 2 it be being applied in a counterclockwise manner demonstrating the ability to wrap in either direction at the option of the operator. The bale wrap material (5) is suspended within the ring apparatus supported by four tabs (13) affixed to the interior of the ring the axis of the bale wrap material rotating about the hole drilled into that tab and further supported by a shaft with supporting caps which fit into the ends of the wrap tube connected the tabs with threaded ends (17) allowing a nut to be tightened to create resistance in the rotation of the wrap as the nut is tightened.

The descriptions of this machine should make it apparent to anyone skilled in the art that without departing from the spirit and scope of this patent could adapt it and make certain changes and modifications to this machine with the intent of this inventor to retain the rights attendant to any grant of protection afforded under this patent. By way of illustration and not limitation, several adaptations are provide immediately below in this section to illustrate the inventor's equitable interest in preserving the entirety of those rights even as modified. For example, this bale wrapping machine is capable of adjusting to accommodate round bales of any diameter up to 6 feet and can be enlarged to accommodate even larger bales if that becomes necessary without exceeding the characteristics which improve upon previous bale wrap mechanisms. It is also designed to be operated manually with minimal resistance without the need for augmented mechanical advantage. However, it may be equipped with a motorized belt or gear drive mechanism mounted on the interior of the ring with variable speed control to allow rotation of the ring by activation of that motor should the operator desire. It could be modified by placing it on an axle with a tongue on the opposite frame member for ease of transport. These are just three modifications envisioned by the inventor which are “intended” to be included in the scope of this patent, but to keep the cost down, it is envisioned that most operators will opt for the manually operated ring in the configuration and as described below. 

1. A machine to manually wrap round hay or straw bales to preserve the quality of that product throughout the season and consists of: a. A supporting frame with the capacity to support the wrapping apparatus and allow it to move laterally to accommodate bales of varying widths; b. A trolley (traveler) which sits atop the supporting carriage and which travels laterally and at the same time supports a circular tubular framework (the wrapper ring) atop the supporting wheels fixed in position to carry the weight of the ring and to allow it to turn on those supporting wheels with minimal friction. This unit can also be fitted with an AC/DC/hydraulic motor driver to rotate the ring in an augmented fashion allowing the operator to gain mechanical advantage if desired. c. A ring sized to accommodate bales of any diameter and wrapping material of any width which sits atop the trolley and is supported by four or more roller bearing or wheels which allow it to rotate freely with minimal resistance. This ring can be rotated manually clockwise or counterclockwise as the operator desires. d. One or two carriers to support the bale wrap material within the interior of the ring and suspended in such a manner that resistance can be applied to control the rate of rotation of the wrap to increase or decrease resistance as the wrap material exits the roll and to allow the operator to control the amount of tension in the wrap as it is applied to the outer surface of the bale. e. If only one carrier is utilized, an adjustable counterweight opposite the roll of material will counterbalance the single roll for ease of operation.
 2. A machine which is portable easily transported and easily assembled or disassembled using the supplied optional spring clips to connect four sections into a single unit, or standard bolts using simple and traditional tools or a fully welded ring that cannot be disassembled for storage. The entire unit can be transported in the bed of a pick up truck and carried from site to site if the operator wishes. 